Self-employed and about to become a dad? How to plan time off (and the parental pay coming in 2029)

The short answer: Self-employed dads can't get Statutory Paternity Pay, because it's only for employees. That won't change before April 2029. The Budget 2026 says a new Parental Allowance will start then, giving eligible self-employed fathers and partners 2 weeks of pay, currently worth up to £194 a week. Until then, you fund your own time off.

Can you get paternity pay if you're self-employed?

Not from your self-employed work, at least not yet. To get Paternity Leave or Paternity Pay you must be an employee. That's the first rule on the list, before anything about pay or notice. A separate payment for self-employed dads is due from April 2029, which we cover below.

It's part of a wider rule. Employment law doesn't cover self-employed people in most cases, because they're their own boss. It's the same reason you don't get holiday pay or sick pay. Being your own boss has perks, but a paid fortnight with a newborn isn't one of them.

Two things are still worth checking:

• Do you also have a job? You can be employed and self-employed at the same time. If you're an employee in that job, you may qualify for Paternity Pay through it.

• Are you really self-employed? Your status depends on how you actually work, not on what the contract calls you. If you're unsure, check the GOV.UK employment status guidance.

What about the help your partner may get? Maternity Allowance is a payment for someone taking time off to have a baby. So it's for your partner if she's the one giving birth and qualifies, not for you.

Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future.

How much is 2 weeks' paternity pay?

For employees who qualify, Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings if that's lower. Tax and National Insurance come off. So 2 weeks is worth up to £388.64 before tax.

Employees can take up to 2 weeks' leave, in one block or as two separate weeks. It can't start before the birth, and it must end within 52 weeks. To get the pay, an employee needs to earn at least £129 a week on average and have worked for the same employer for 26 weeks by the 15th week before the due date.

Side by side, it looks like this:

Based on 2026/27 statutory rates for a birth. Employers can choose to pay more. The government says statutory payments, including Statutory Maternity Pay, will rise by 3.5% from April 2027, but it hasn't published the new weekly rates yet.

Our guide to paternity leave and pay for employees covers the notice rules and enhanced pay. For you, the useful number is the £388.64. It's a rough guide to what two weeks off "should" be worth, and a starting point for your own fund.

Can a self-employed dad share his partner's Maternity Allowance or leave?

You can't share Maternity Allowance, and you can't take Shared Parental Leave as a self-employed person. But your work can still help your partner, if she's an employee.

Shared Parental Leave needs you to have the legal status of an employee. Acas adds that someone who isn't an employee might still get Shared Parental Pay, so check if you're on a payroll as a worker anywhere.

When one parent takes Shared Parental Leave, the other must pass a work and earnings test. Acas says that parent can be an employee, a worker or self-employed. They need to have:

1. worked for at least 26 weeks out of the 66 weeks before the week the baby's due

2. earned at least £390 in total across any 13 of those 66 weeks

So if your partner is employed and gets Statutory Maternity Pay, your self-employment can help her qualify. She could then convert some of her leave into Shared Parental Leave. It doesn't give you any time or pay, but it can give your family more flexible weeks.

Which row applies depends on her work history and National Insurance. Our guide to whether she'll get SMP or Maternity Allowance walks through the tests.

What support is there for self-employed fathers?

There's no statutory payment for you before April 2029. Until then, the support that exists goes to the family through your partner or the benefits system.

Check these:

• Your partner's entitlement. If she's self-employed, our guide to having a baby when you're self-employed covers Maternity Allowance in detail.

• If she helps in your business. A spouse or civil partner who does unpaid work for a self-employed partner's business may get the 14-week Maternity Allowance. You must be registered as self-employed with HMRC and paying Class 2 National Insurance for this.

• Universal Credit. If your household income drops, you may be able to claim. If you're self-employed, Universal Credit may use a minimum income floor (an assumed level of earnings) unless you're in a start-up period.

• Other family support. The new parent benefits checker can help you see what your household might get.

How much should I save to take time off when the baby arrives?

There's no right number, but you can work yours out in a few minutes. Work out what you'd normally take home for the weeks you want off, then add a buffer. That's your paternity fund.

Here's a way to build it:

1. Pick the length. Two weeks matches what employees get. Some dads plan for longer, or split it.

2. Work out your usual weekly take-home. Use your profit after setting money aside for tax.

3. Multiply by the number of weeks. That's the income you won't earn.

4. Add a buffer for a late baby, a slow restart, or clients who pay late after you're back.

5. Check for tax dates. Payments on account are due on 31 January and 31 July, each half of last year's tax bill. If one falls during your time off, it still needs paying.

If your profits will drop this year, you can ask HMRC to lower your payments on account. Our guide to payments on account explains how. The pay-yourself and cash-buffer planner can also help you map the weeks around the birth.

Your National Insurance is worked out on yearly profits, so a few weeks off won't usually change it. For 2026/27, if your profits are at or above the Small Profits Threshold of £7,105, Class 2 is treated as paid to protect your record.

If you pay into a personal pension, you could also look at lowering or pausing payments for a month or two, and set a date to restart.

Capital at risk. The value of your pension can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you pay in.

Example: saving for time off with a newborn

Made-up figures, for illustration only.

Tom is a self-employed electrician. After setting aside money for tax, he usually takes home about £600 a week. The baby is due in March. He wants a buffer of £300 on top, for a slow restart.

Assumes his costs stay the same while he's off and he starts saving in September.

Two weeks off would cost Tom about three times what an employed dad would get in Paternity Pay. So planning ahead matters more for him than for an employee. Even after the new allowance starts, it would cover only part of his 2 weeks at today's rate. He might choose 2 weeks at the birth and 2 more a few months later, when his partner goes back to work.

Will self-employed dads get paternity pay in future?

Yes, if you qualify, but not until April 2029. In the Budget 2026, the government said that from April 2029, eligible self-employed fathers, partners and adopters in Great Britain "will be able to access parental pay". The Budget calls the new payment a Parental Allowance.

What we know so far:

• When it starts. April 2029. There's nothing for you before then, so if your baby is due in 2026/27, 2027/28 or 2028/29, plan as if you won't get it.

• How much. HM Treasury says it will give two weeks of support currently worth up to £194 a week. That's about the same as an employee's Statutory Paternity Pay today.

• Who it's for. Self-employed fathers, partners and adopters in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). The government expects it to help over 150,000 parents a year.

What hasn't been decided yet:

• the tests you'll need to pass to count as "eligible"

• how you'll claim it, and who pays it

• the weekly rate in 2029

• what happens if your baby arrives just before April 2029

The Budget says the change comes ahead of the government's Parental Leave and Pay Review, which will conclude in early 2027. A minister told the House of Lords that the review considers the needs of self-employed parents, "including fathers and partners". So more detail may follow once it reports.

Before the Budget, the Women and Equalities Committee had recommended a paternal allowance for self-employed fathers, according to the Lords debate. Researchers at the University of Bath had proposed a six-week Paternity Allowance, paid at the Statutory Paternity Pay rate. The Budget's version is shorter, at 2 weeks.

What can I do now?

1. Check whether any job you have alongside your business could give you Paternity Pay.

2. Find out what your partner can get, and whether your work helps her qualify for Shared Parental Leave.

3. Decide how many weeks you'd like off, and when.

4. Work out your paternity fund and start setting money aside each month.

5. Note any payments on account due around the birth.

6. Tell regular clients your plans early, and agree cover or deadlines.

7. If your baby is due from April 2029, watch for official details of the new Parental Allowance and how to claim.

Still got questions?

Can I take time off whenever I want? Yes. You set your own time off, so you can take it at the birth, later on, or in chunks. The only limit is what you can afford and what your clients need.

Do I need to tell HMRC I'm taking paternity leave? No. There's no leave to register. Just keep your records up to date and make sure tax payments still go out on time.

Will a few weeks off affect my State Pension? Usually not. Self-employed National Insurance is based on your yearly profits, so it depends on your profit for the whole year, not a few weeks.

When does parental pay for self-employed dads start? April 2029, in Great Britain. The Budget 2026 says eligible self-employed fathers, partners and adopters will be able to get it from then. Until the details are published, plan as if you'll fund your own time off.

What if I have a part-time job as well? Then check the tests for that job. Paternity Pay needs 26 weeks with the same employer and average pay of at least £129 a week. Both tests are about that job and that employer.

Can my partner get Maternity Allowance if she helps with my business? She may get £27 a week for up to 14 weeks if she does unpaid work for your business and you're registered as self-employed. The GOV.UK eligibility rules have the details.